Previously a junior high school teacher and an editor, Stine published his first book, How to Be Funny: An Extremely Silly Guide, in 1978. An avalanche of publishing success followed, as Stine began creating young adult horror stories. The Goosebumps books feature spooky tales for ages 8–11. The Fear Street series for ages 9–14 gets more gory. Stine pens about two books per month, and his Goosebumps titles alone have sold over 180 million copies. Stine has published an autobiography: It Came from Ohio! My Life as a Writer (1997).